Císař Jan

Studied theatre sciences at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU). In 1959, he began working as a dramaturg at the State Travelling Theatre Company; he was also a contributing editor for Divadlo (Theatre) magazine and the editor-in-chief of Divadelní noviny (Theatre News). In 1970, he was briefly the artistic director of the Jaroslav Průcha Theatre in Kladno, after which he spent two years as the director of the Kolín Regional Theatre. In the 1980s, he was the dramaturg for drama productions at Prague’s National Theatre and Vinohrady Theatre.

In the mid-1960s, Císař began lecturing at DAMU, where he was made an associate professor in 1966. He was the school’s dean in 1970–72, and was made a professor in 1985, after which he headed the Department of Drama Directing and Dramaturgy and the Department of Theory and Criticism.